finding a cure for chronic cough

normally when i do not feel well, i take a lot of fluid, usually, water. sometimes, it can be in the form of barley, honey water or pei pa kao. so, when i have a cough, i drink lots of water, so much so that i have to visit the toilet more times than normal - and my normal is already more than the average.

i think most of us know that cough medicines are grouped into two types: antitussives and expectorants. antitussives, or cough suppressants, block the cough reflex. expectorants, on the other hand, are thought to thin mucus and make coughing more productive in clearing the mucus from the airway.

people who are not aware of this sometimes switch doctor when their cough gets worse - that is, when they start to cough even more after taking the medicine because the expectorant induces more coughing in order to expel the phelgm.

when i was young, each time i had a bad cough i would go to the pegu road outpatients' clinic for treatment. i would take the medication but not finish the dose of antibiotics. once when i had a really bad cough, one which lasted a few weeks, my grandmother made me drink a concoction that included the remains of a cockroach.

these days when i have a cough, i just cough it away. yes, i still drink a lot of lukewarm water.